The Itivṛttaka Sūtra, Volume One (1)

Original text: 吾从世尊。闻如是语。苾刍当知。我以佛眼。遍观世间。诸有业果。皆缘心意。一类有情。心意所使。行如是行。履如是道。身坏命终。如舍重担。堕诸恶趣。生地狱中。所以者何。彼诸有情。心意染污。由此为因。身坏命终。堕诸恶趣。生地狱中。 

Explanation: I heard these words from the World-Honored One: Monks, you should know that with the Buddha eye I have thoroughly observed the world, and all karmic results arise in dependence upon the mind and mental faculty. There is a class of sentient beings who are driven by their mind and mental faculty; they perform such actions and tread such paths. When their bodies break up and their lives end, it is as if they had cast down a heavy burden, and they fall into the evil destinies and are reborn in hell. Why is this so? Because the minds of those sentient beings are defiled. Taking this as the cause, when their bodies break up and their lives end, they fall into the evil destinies and are reborn in hell. 

The mind and mental faculty mentioned above refer to the seventh consciousness, the manas. Because the manas is defiled, whenever it gives rise to intentions and creates karma, all the karma it creates is defiled karma; and because of this defiled karma, at the end of life one falls into the three evil destinies and is reborn in hell. Sentient beings are driven by the manas to create karmic actions; the manas is the driving force and the master of bodily, verbal, and mental actions. When the manas is pure, everything is pure; when the manas is defiled, everything is defiled. Therefore, the manas is endowed with all ignorance and all afflictions, and in cultivation, everything must ultimately be implemented at the level of the manas in order to remove defilement and attain purity. Furthermore, no matter what dharma or what meditative concentration (samādhi) one realizes, it must be realized by the manas. If the manas does not realize it, defilement remains defilement forever and can never become pure. 

Original text: 吾从世尊。闻如是语。苾刍当知。我以佛眼。遍观世间。诸有业果。皆缘心意。一类有情。心意所使。行如是行。履如是道。身坏命终。如捐重担。升诸善趣。生于天中。所以者何。彼诸有情。心意清净。由此为因。身坏命终。升诸善趣。生天界中。 

Explanation: I heard these words from the World-Honored One: Monks, you should know that with the Buddha eye I have thoroughly observed the world, and all karmic results arise in dependence upon the mind and mental faculty. There is a class of sentient beings who are driven by their mind and mental faculty; they perform such actions and tread such paths. When their bodies break up and their lives end, it is as if they had cast away a heavy burden, and they ascend to the good destinies and are reborn in the heavens. Why is this so? Because the minds of those sentient beings are pure. Taking this as the cause, when their bodies break up and their lives end, they ascend to the good destinies and are reborn in the heavens. 

Here, the mind and mental faculty again refer to the manas. The manas is the consciousness that makes decisions; it is the master of all dharmas. How the dharmas are created is decided and driven by the manas. When the manas is pure, the karmic actions it creates are pure, and through pure karmic actions, one reaps pure blessings of merit. Therefore, the manas can also be endowed with all pure and wholesome dharmas, and by means of these pure and wholesome dharmas, the Buddha Way is accomplished. Thus the manas can possess all mental factors (caittas); both wholesome and unwholesome mental factors are fully present within it. The unwholesome mental factors can all be completely severed, and the wholesome mental factors can all be brought forth. When the manas is unwholesome, everything is unwholesome; when the manas is wholesome, everything is wholesome. In cultivation, everything must ultimately be implemented at the level of the manas; otherwise, one will give up halfway, all previous efforts will be wasted, and wholesome dharmas will not be accomplished.